Two's company

Married musicians Paul Cavacuiti and Nadine Andre, known collectively as It Had To Be Two, are bringing their unique show – ‘A Musicians’ Guide to Happy Marriage’ to this year’s MGSO4 Festival in Epsom. We caught up with them to find out a little bit more…

Q) How long have you been playing music and did your love of music bring you together?

Nadine: “We’ve both been playing since we were children. I started playing the piano when I was five and Paul started the drums when he was 10. We’ve both played ever since, and met while teaching on a summer music course in 2007. At the time, I was desperate to play jazz but terrified of it, and Paul taught me how to play the blues and had me jamming with his trio in 15 minutes flat. The rest is history!”

Q) When did you decide to become 'an act'? Or where you an act before you were a couple?

NA: “We were a couple first. Our act evolved over a few years, when Paul would interrupt my practice sessions by drumming along and getting in the way! It was when we realised that Bach had a groove and Beethoven invented disco that we decided to create our first set. We’ve always played together at parties and performed at local care homes and churches, and the creation of The Musicians’ Guide To a Happy Marriage is the culmination of all these experiences… and years of struggle and self-denial!”

Q) The show sounds like great fun. What can the audience expect to see and hear?

NA: The show is a musical concert with a humorous narrative about marriage and the coming together of two musical worlds; jazz and classical. There are two musical components to our duo. One is classical piano repertoire accompanied by the great composers’ “missing drum parts” and the other is ragtime and American songs from the 1920-40s. The show involves the piano, drums and vocals, and the audience can expect a few instrumental surprises!

Q) Theatrical marriages have somewhat of a chequered history - what are your tips for creating an on-stage and off-stage partnership?

NA: “On stage, we’ve come from very different musical backgrounds, so learning how each other works and finding a balance between allowing each other space to do what we do best, and also encouraging each other to step outside our comfort-zones, makes the project unique and, we hope, successful.”

PC: “Off stage, not nicking your wife’s toast while she responds to a questionnaire is a good start!”

Q): Are you looking forward to being part of the festival?

NA: “This is a great thing for Epsom, and we are thrilled to be a part of such a wonderful event. Epsom is full of creative and talented individuals, alongside great venues, and it’s fantastic that MGSO4 has created an opportunity for these artists to be seen and heard. The arts have suffered greatly in recent years and, having run events ourselves, we know how hard it is to get new projects off the ground. We admire the commitment, dedication and endless enthusiasm of the MGSO4 team, and sincerely hope that the Festival is a great success and will be further supported in future years!”

The MGSO4 Festival runs across a variety of locations until July 7. For more information visit: mgso4festival.org